Tracing the origins of Confucian inspiration

The authority of Zhou kings declined as feudal lords vied for supremacy, bringing devastating damage to the ritual system.

Confucius decided that his mission was to revive the rituals in the hope of reestablishing the social order, Da explains. "At that time, many schools of thought put forward their ideas in response to the disorder and division. These greatly expanded the breath and depth of people's thinking."

By "interpreting rituals with benevolence", Confucius, a pioneering educator who also first initiated private schools in China, established an all-encompassing moral code that was closely tied to human nature.

More than 300 years later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), who ruled a unified country of vast territory, supported Confucian thought, with Confucius' teachings as its key exemplar, to become the official orthodoxy.

Exhibits ranging from figure paintings to various editions of Confucian classics show how Confucianism has been a vital source of spiritual nourishment for the Chinese nation in its continuous growth. "This culture has kept pace with the times and evolved in response to historical changes," Da says.

On a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) hanging scroll, Confucius Giving a Lecture, a romantic imagination on how the educator inspired his disciples was featured. In China, Confucius deserves his reputation as an exemplary teacher of any age for the moral principles and love of learning he set.

A Tang Dynasty (618-907) portrait of centenarian Fu Sheng, whose long life spanned the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, urges visitors to remember this brave scholar, who spent his lifetime protecting Confucianism during a time of war and social upheaval. This precious painting, on loan from Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, is often credited to Tang poet Wang Wei, a household name for Chinese people.